More User Reviews:

100-IBU beast sitting in front of us, we put on our drinking hands, and they are steady and ready to go. The head you would expect from a super hoppy beer is there; dark brassy color. Oily resin hop nose, with citric and mint, tobacco and spice. Creamy, smooth fullish body. Palate gets smacked around by the 100 IBUs, a bitterness that does not want to let go. Sticky, resiny hop flavor after the bitterness, and a sweet kernel of malt in the middle with some tropical fruit in the mix. Alcohol is warming, not hot, so it does come across a bit deceiving for its size. Worth the hunt for any true hophead.

A - Beer pours a light copper. A one-inch head of very loose, sudsy foam dissipates quickly, but not completely; the last 10% takes awhile longer to burst and disappear. A ring of thick, foamy lace is left around the glass, with a very fine sheen on the surface. Held to a full-spectrum light, the beer is a subdued apricot orange and just slightly hazy.

S - Nose is soft and subtle. Tropical notes up front with dry pine wood in the background. Lightly toasted malts with caramel and bits of toffee emerge. Traces of alcohol are present.

T - Malt profile just like the nose leads, but is quickly washed away by the hops. Hops in the taste profile are rather indistinct - bitter, earthy herb/floral and woody to start, but sliding into more of the soft tropical fruits with hints of orange rind in the finish. ABV is pretty well hidden. Overall quality seems lacking. In fact, the back-end of the finish produces almost a aspirin-like medicinal taste that's rather metallic.

M - Fizzy, but carbonation is on the light side. Thin body - on the edge of watery. Structure is lacking sufficient backbone for a DIPA. Components are acceptably integrated. Finish lingers on the middle of the tongue; on the dry side.

O - A pretty nondescript beer all around, it seems what makes this a Double is only the higher ABV. It's thin, but it's also not a serious hop bomb requiring increased malt sugars for balance (which it doesn't have). It's essentially a high ABV IPA that favors a rougher bitter taste over grapefruit-citrus. If that's your thing, give it a try, but it's not a beer I will look for in the future.

My first New Albanian beer the last time I saw this was in Northern Kentucky last summer, I couldn't decide on one of these compared to their amazing selection. Appears deep caramel amber with a nice off white khaki head forming thick leaving behind fine even speckled lacing. Aromatics herbal pine, citrus pith, and crushed aspirin very floral perfume like hop notes underlying caramelized malts play a supporting role. Flavor earthy citrus bitter notes big malts expose themselves, hop burps are present after a few sips I can't believe it has 100 IBUs. 8 bucks for a 22 ounce bottle this was well worth it!!! Earthy, pine coat the palate more of the citrus/crushed aspirin alpha acid inspired notes hit the palate very straight on leaving a bit of residual sweetness there's some caramel malts to balance it out. Mouthfeel is big drinks like a bigger DIPA or barleywine, take your time and share this one with a mate or two. Carbonation is a bit low hard time carrying this big brew across the palate. Overall, I've had much better BIG IPAs, this needs some work!!!

I really had some high hopes for this one. Not exactly the hop bomb I was expecting. I bought the 22 at the Pizzeria and Public House just a couple weeks ago so I sure hope they aren't selling old IPA out of their own shop (I couldn't locate a date on the bottle but you'd think they'd be selling fresh stuff in their own house). Don't get me wrong, it's a fine beer. The taste however was dominated by the malt with hops in the background. I felt like I was drinking a mild English pale ale instead of a IIPA. Their website claims "Aggressive hops and noteworthy bitterness" - I got neither. At 8 bucks for the bomber it's a little too steep to not get what you expect.

Beautiful auburn color with a great, off-white head. Smell is kind off strange. Musty, malty and some floral, earthy hops. The flavor is great, though. Caramel malt with a touch of roast. Earthy hops, some citrus and a nice dry finish. Smooth. Good mouthful. A tasty beer.

A little darker than I expected, kind of looks like a lot of the pumpkin beers I've been drinking lately. A burnt orange color with tons of carbonation. The bubbles never stop rising from the bottom. The head is simply enormous.

Wasn't the smell I was hoping for or expecting. Really looking for the Cascade hop, but it's only there in a supporting role. Has more of a bready, cracker-like smell to it.

A slight taste of citrus, particularly as it warms. A resinous, woody, piney taste.

Actually pretty gentle for such a high level of IBU. The malts really balance the hops so you never get that kick. The biscuity character makes this very drinkable.

Not at all what I expected, but I'm glad to have tried this. It's a solid B in my book.

Pours orange and surprisingly crisp and clear for an Imperial IPA. Thin layer of a white head floats atop. The aroma is all fresh, citrusy hops. The punch is not as big as expected from a 100 IBU beer, but you know it's an IPA. Loads of citrus and grassy hops give it a very fresh, summery flavor. Enough sweetness from the malt to cut through. With no bottling date, there is no way to know how old it is. The flavor is great, but I'm wondering if the hops have lost some potency. Oh, and it clocks in pushing 11% ABV.

Even if this is a little old, it's really tasty. Lots of hops, enough malt to give it some balance, and deceptively smooth for its ABV and IBU. I'll definitely do this again!

Hoptimus pours honey golden with fantastic clarity. Clarity is only obstructed by the massive amounts of carbonation bubbles streaming up throughout this brew. The head billows like a freshly poured Original from the Hofbrauhaus. Way too much carbonation for the style but a pretty beer nonetheless.

Aroma is kind of a strange one on this New Albanian double IPA... A kind of dark cola smell with the sweetness to match is honestly the first thing I think of with each sniff. Strange... Biscuity with little discernible bouquet, Hoptimus underwhelms in the nose.

Piney hops and a medicinal touch come through first in the flavor. Don't burp... It's like aspirin if you do. Such a light bodied and smooth beer for 9.0%... Are we sure this hydrometer is working? Crisp and tons of carbonation throughout... New Albanian definitely has an issue with over-carbonating every single one of its beers...

Hoptimus isn't terrible but it's not good either. This could be a macro's take on an ESB but definitely not a great representation of a craft IPA or IIPA. Alright...

22 ounce bottle. Served in a snifter, the beer pours a hazy orange/copper color with a frothy inch and a half off-white head. Head retention is very good, and there's a decent amount of lacing left on the glass. The aroma is interesting, the brew smells like earthy and pine hops, bubblegum and some herbs and cloves. The taste is similar to the aroma, it tastes like citrusy (grapefruit) and pine hops, caramel malt, herbs, and some cloves. There's also a very long lasting bitter hoppy finish. Mouthfeel/body is medium, it's a bit slick and is well carbonated. I liked this brew, it wasn't exactly quite what I was expecting in an IIPA but in this case it was a pleasant surprise.